


I'd Rather Die Than Be Famous

by xXdark_passengerXx



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: AU, Fanfiction, Gay, Gratsu - Freeform, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Marriage Proposal, alternateunierse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-11-06 17:39:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17944172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXdark_passengerXx/pseuds/xXdark_passengerXx
Summary: ❝your pretty eyes don't give me much choice, but i'll take them home❞--One night, Gray asked Natsu, his long-term famous actor of a boyfriend, the question he had been wanting to ask for a long while. Natsu was overwhelmed and asked Gray to think about it for a week. He doubted Gray would be able to handle the problems with being famous. The next day, a problem rises and Gray makes a deal with Natsu: If he can deal with the problem for a week, he'll marry Natsu. If not, he'll leave. It was ridiculous, but Gray was determined to get through this, even if that meant ignoring the people who bugged him to no end.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> ORIGINAL AT WATTPAD.COM/xXDark_PassengerXx

the plan

"So, you're done for the day, right?" Lucy asked Gray as they both walked down the hall. He hummed and she smiled, thinking of what they could do together since they both didn't have any more classes for the rest of the day. "How about we hang out then?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized genuinely, giving her a frown. "Midterm exams are just next week, and I was planning to work my butt off for it. I don't think anyone could afford to fail a class."

Lucy nodded and smiled. "Oh, trust me, I completely understand. I guess I'll have no choice but to study, since I'll be so bored all alone. I really do need more friends." She nervously laughed and Gray gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry. As soon as exams are over, I will make sure we hang out. I can't possibly imagine you not tracking me down just because we haven't hung out in so long," he reassured as they both left the building and walked towards Lucy's residence.

She pouted and looked away with some pink dusted across her cheeks. She then turned her head back towards him and glared at him. "I still don't understand why I haven't been to your house yet. We've been friends for three years and I still don't know your street."

Gray shrugged, knowing what to say. He was full of excuses. "It's small. I can barely get through the door, and trust me— you're going to be very uncomfortable." Lucy nodded, not pushing the topic, knowing he wouldn't respond to any more questions.

They both turned their heads towards their right when they heard a deep voice snicker. Of course, it was the infamous Gajeel. Exactly whom Gray wanted to see. Gajeel and Gray didn't have the best relationship; they both argued a lot and had a lot of fights; physical and verbally.

Gray bit his tongue back as he rolled his eyes. Suddenly, he couldn't bite his tongue anymore as it opened and spoke. "What do you want?" He knew he would be provoked into a fight, but he couldn't help it. Something about the man just angered the hell out of Gray.

"Nothing, ya gay idiot."

Gray clenched his fists and glared at the man with all the hate boiling up inside. "I told you a thousand times, idiot, I'm not gay."

"Come on!" Gajeel kicked himself off the wall of a building and walked a few steps towards Gray. "You make it so obvious. You clearly are gay."

"You can't tell if someone is gay by looking at them," Gray defended. "Besides, why do you care what my sexuality is? I'm not gay, end of story!"

Gray roughly pushed Gajeel out of his way before stomping away from the scene. He walked as fast as he could. He could hear Lucy's steps on the pavement as she tried to catch up to the raven.

"Gray," she called out softly as she walked beside him. "Don't listen to him. He's trying to get you angry because he's like that. Whatever he says is bull."

"Bye, Lucy," he snapped as he stopped in front of her res. building. She looked at him with a solemn look, and he couldn't take it anymore; he walked away without another word. He was grateful when she said nothing and walked into her dorm.

Gray swallowed his spit and almost groaned. He hated Gajeel. High school was terrible because of him— he just had to go to the same university as him, didn't he? Wonderful, wasn't it?

It's okay, a voice in his head said. He had someone waiting for him at home. Just the thought of his pinkette brought a smile to his lips and it instantly calmed him down. His boyfriend had that effect on him— had it for six and a half years.

He suddenly remembered his plans for tonight and his palms became sweaty as his legs almost buckled underneath him. He was nervous and was anxious to find out how it would turn out. He would just have to wait and see how it all laid out, he guessed.

He stopped at the bus stop. His 'house' was kilometres away from his university. He didn't complain, he couldn't care less about the distance, except for one thing; it would take a longer time to see his pinkette. He had to live far to make sure no one would follow him, and because Natsu couldn't let anyone know where he lived, so they were isolated.

He got in the bus once it arrived and put his Presto card over the scanner before walking to the back. He pulled out his earbuds and placed them in his ears. He listened to a song Natsu had shown him a while back; Diamonds Aren't Forever by Bring Me The Horizon.

Gray didn't really like the music Natsu liked, but he had to admit that this song was fantastic. For some odd reason, it made him sleepy, a bit ironic since the lyrics would say how they would never sleep. His eyes dropped as he felt drowsy. It didn't matter if he fell asleep; his was the last stop, so the bus driver would wake him. It's happened before, so he let himself sleep.

His shoulder shook as his eyes shot open. He gave the bus driver an appreciative smile and the other man just nodded before walking back to the front. Gray stood up and left through the doors as he walked for a few minutes.

Finally, his eyes landed on the very big house— basically a mansion. Natsu wouldn't admit it, but Gray knew they both knew. Natsu was just stubborn and dense.

Gray shook his head with a smile and walked in, giving the guards a nod as they smiled back. Gray walked in through the big doors.

"Natsu?" he called out excitedly, happy to finally see his pinkette again. It had been a long day, but it was worth it if he finally got to see Natsu.

"Gray!" Natsu ran down the stairs with a small duffel bag. He immediately dropped it and embraced the other in a hug, his arms around his neck.

Gray took a step back because of the sudden weight and wrapped his arms around Natsu's waist. "Were you about to leave?" he asked in a sad voice.

Natsu looked up and nodded. "Yeah, we're supposed to film a few scenes today. After that, I have an interview with this magazine industry. I won't be home until after six." He frowned and kissed the raven.

Gray kissed back and pulled away. "It's all right, you'll be back in time for dinner. I'll make sure you'll love it," he honestly said, not wanting to spill too much.

"I wish the world knew," Natsu whispered as he looked to his duffle bag, which laid on the ground a few feet back. "Everything would be so much easier."

"Then let's tell them," Gray smiled, "How long are we going to wait? It's been six years, we clearly love each other."

"Before, I said whenever you're ready," he hesitantly recalled as he gripped the hem of his shirt. He bit his bottom lip and averted his gaze from the raven to their shoes.

"I think I am ready, Natsu." Gray and Natsu had this conversation many times before, but neither of them left satisfied. Gray knew Natsu would be extremely hesitant, since he was famous and all.

"I don't think I am," Natsu whispered as he turned around and grabbed his bag. "I'll see you when I'm done." He smiled and kissed his lover's cheeks.

Gray bade farewell and when he heard the door shut, he sighed in frustration. Maybe tonight would be a lot harder than he expected. As nervous as he was, he began to prepare dinner right away, with the help with the chef in the kitchen, of course.

"So," the chef, Mirajane, began as she looked to the raven-haired man. "May I ask what this all is for? You rarely are in the kitchen since Natsu would usually follow after you and you two create a destruction." She laughed and Gray nervously chuckled.

"It's going to be a special night. I'm going to ask him to marry me," Gray softly said in a loving voice. Mirajane smiled at him. Him and Natsu were like family to her, she was happy for them.

"That's wonderful! It's about time," she teased. "I wouldn't worry too much about it... he'll definitely say yes. Why wouldn't he? You two have been together for six years! That seems like a long time to be dating."

Gray bit his lip as he placed the dish in the oven. "I don't know, we talk about these things and it just seems with him being all... you know, famous, he doesn't think it's too safe. He says there will always be a camera in my face and he says he knows I'm going to be annoyed with them all."

Mirajane nodded in understanding. "Those are good points you should consider. I'm sure he just wants you to not regret anything."

"I have considered them," Gray harshly defended, before sighing. "Sorry, I'm just scared the night's not going to turn out as I'm hoping." He sighed and continued to prepare everything with the help of Mirajane. Neither of them said another word about the proposal.

"Thank you, Mira." Gray smiled as he took off the oven gloves. "If you don't mind, could you just watch the oven? After that, you're done for the day. Again, thanks. I couldn't have done this without you, I already know."

"Anything for you and Natsu!" Mira giggled and nodded her head. "I'll set it on the table if you would like. Go lie down and try to take a quick nap. Natsu should be home in an hour."

Gray nodded in gratitude and hurried up the long way of steps. He didn't understand exactly why there were so many, but Natsu seemed to enjoy running up and down the staircase. Since Gray got to see the happy smile, he never complained.

Going into his and Natsu's room, he flopped onto the bed and rubbed his hands over his face. He took a deep breath, wanting to forget about the anxiety he was feeling. He really hoped it all just went well. For his and Natsu's sake.

His eyes dropped, but he didn't fall asleep. Half an hour later, he got up since he found trying to sleep useless. Instead, he stood up and walked to their walk-in closet. He decided to try and look decent, to show Natsu he was as serious as he could be— because he was.

In the end, he picked out a white-collared shirt and some black pants. There was no way he was going to wear a tie and a coat; it would just be stripped off anyway because of his weird habit.

Placing the clothes draped over his forearm, he grabbed his towel and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. He stopped right before taking off his clothes; what if Natsu got home before he was done with his shower? He debated if being clean was better than a chance of ruining his dinner.

Signing, he decided to leave the shower for now. Besides, he didn't smell too bad. Running back down after changing into the clothes he had chosen, he smiled at Mira, who mimicked his smile and walked away from the kitchen, but not before wishing him good luck, to which he thanked her.

He walked to the table and made sure everything was all right. Putting his hands in his pants' pocket, he felt the box and his heart warmed. Just thinking about spending the rest of his life with Natsu was more than enough to send him over the moon.

His heart usually stopped just by looking at Natsu. This time, however, it stopped because he heard the door open and close. With one last deep breath, he turned around and smiled at the pink-haired man whom he loved with his life and more.

 

-edited-


	2. two

the deal and the immediate mistake

"I'm home!"

Natsu's loud voice rang through the entire mansion as he excitedly took off his shoes and dropped his duffle bag somewhere on the ground. He sniffed and smelt some food. He smiled, feeling even hungrier than before.

"Ice Princess?" he called out, wondering why everything was so quiet and dark. Where were all the 'servants'? Not that he minded that they were gone, he was just curious. They usually waited until he got home, so it was just a little strange to him.

He walked in the dining room and gasped as his eyes slightly widened. He smiled at his boyfriend and ran into his arms. Gray caught him and squeezed him tightly before letting go. They both sat down, across from each other.

"Did you— Did you cook all this?" Natsu asked in amazement, still wonderstruck about the sudden surprise dinner. It was fantastic. Natsu always thought Gray couldn't cook, since Gray would refuse to cook for him.

"With the help of Mira," Gray replied with a smile as Natsu and him sat down at the table. "How was your day?"

"It was all right. I have another interview with the same magazine people after filming, so there's that. I can't wait for you to see this movie! I think it's got to be my favourite one yet!" Natsu rambled with a childish smile. His green eyes were brightly lit as he spoke and Gray swore he died inside. "What about you?"

"It was good," he replied, feeling nervous all over again. "I was feeling anxious all day, so I couldn't do anything without my palms getting sweaty and dreading this certain thing."

"Anxious? Why?" Natsu questioned as he took a bite of the food. He was worried about Gray. From what Natsu remembered, Gray's exams started next week. Maybe it was because of that? he thought. "The food's so amazing."

"Natsu freaking Dragneel," Gray started, putting his hand in his pocket and feeling the box once again. He clenched the box in his closed hand. "Literally from the moment I saw you, I was falling for you," Gray recalled the day they met. Natsu had ran past him and tripped. Gray tried to catch him, but ended falling underneath Natsu. A bit cliché, but Gray didn't care; in the end, he met Natsu, and that's all he ever thought about— that is the one thing he cared about.

"Ha-ha," Natsu sarcastically laughed as he rolled his eyes and tried to hide his smile, but it was hard when Gray's was contagious. He cursed the raven in his mind as he shook his head. Damn it, he thought.

"There hasn't been a day where I haven't thought about you. For the past six and a half years, all I've thought about is you. You are my life, and without you, there is no me. I want you to know how much I appreciate you," his voice began to get quieter as he slowly pulled the box out of pocket. Natsu's smile grew even more when he noticed a small reference to a song he liked.

"Gray, is everything all," Natsu's voice trailed once he saw the box. He became quiet as he gasped. He stared into Gray's icy blue eyes, then the box held in his hands. "Wha—"

"I want to show you everyday how much you mean to me. I love you so much, Natsu. So, would you do me the honours of trying to catch you every time you fall?" Gray opened the box, revealing the ring inside. It was a silver band and Natsu almost began to cry, but he refused to.

"Gray," Natsu tried to understand what was happening. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"There will never be another day where you can walk around the streets freely. There probably will be a camera near you at all times. You can't go back. I don't want you to ever regret anything," Natsu explained. "I don't want you to regret me."

Gray nodded. "I know. You're being ridiculous, I could never regret you."

"You won't have a private life anymore. Please, Gray, I want you to consider this and take this seriously," he pleaded, his eyes begging Gray to reconsider. Natsu knew how tough everything was, how annoying people could be. Stalkers, threats— being famous was a lot more than people thought. It wasn't as easy as people made it out to be.

Gray surprised his eyebrows, confused at what Natsu was saying. "I am serious. I'm trying to show you how serious I am."

"One week," Natsu whispered. "Take this week and reconsider everything. If, by the end of the week, you decide you still want to do this, I'll say yes."

"So you're saying no?" Gray clenched his fists.

"I'm not saying no, but I'm not saying yes yet either," Natsu reasoned. "Just, please. Seven days, that's all I'm asking. I just want you to be safe. I just want you to know what you're doing."

Gray nodded and held Natsu's hands in his on the table. "I know, Natsu. I understand you fully. I love you, and I'm willing to wait one week for you. I'll wait forever for you."

Natsu smiled as he looked down at their intertwined hands. "I love you, too, Gray," he spoke quietly. He held the other's hand even tighter. "I love you so much."

"I know, Natsu." Gray brought Natsu's hand up to his mouth and placed a light kiss on it. "I know."

After dinner, they both washed the dishes and headed upstairs to go to bed. When Gray dropped onto the bed, he swore he was about to fall asleep, but when he saw Natsu lay down beside him, his leg draped over Gray's stomach, he didn't feel so tired anymore. Instead, the two talked to each other softly until they both fell asleep.

—

Gray's annoying alarm clock rang. He groaned and rolled over to the night stand beside him. He slammed the 'dismiss' button on his Space Grey iPhone. Once the music turned off, he yawned and rubbed his eyes with his right hand. He got up and pushed the blanket off of him.

He felt the cold air hit his bare chest and he smiled at the feeling. He always liked feeling cold instead of warm; Natsu was the complete opposite of him. Speaking of Natsu— Gray looked to his left and found the space empty. It wasn't anything new, but it still upset him. He disliked how Natsu would leave before him.

Sighing, he stood up and walked to the bathroom. He did his morning rituals; brush his teeth; take a shower; eat an extremely light breakfast; and messily put on his Converse as he ran out the door, hoping he wouldn't be late for his bus.

Luckily, he caught it on time and it drove him to his university. He leaned in his seat, closing his eyes, careful to not fall asleep. His university wasn't the last stop, so he had to be sure he would be awake.

Hearing the familiar street name, he pulled down the yellow wire and stood up, hopping out of the door before they could shut on him; but not before giving a smile to the bus driver.

He ran to his campus, not wanting to be late. His class started in less than five minutes, and his Crim. teacher was not very lenient in letting late kids in her class. Screw the old hag, Gray would think sometimes when he was late by a second.

Right before the door closed, he managed to push his body through the door and cheekily smile at his professor before jogging and sitting at his seat. He pulled out his laptop, notebook, and pen. He bit the end of the pen as he watched the slide show, taking notes on his laptop.

Class ended before he knew it and he walked out with Lucy, who was also in his class, but she had sat somewhere different from where she normally would sit.

The two were talking before a figure did his daily snicker at Gray. Turning his head to the right, Gray rolled his eyes at Gajeel. As amazing as the peaceful talk had been with Natsu last night, Gray had been angry and snappy all day because of how the proposal went. He did not need to deal with Gajeel right now.

"What do you want?" he hissed at the long-haired man with a scowl on his face. The scowl was a norm for Gray, but this scowl was even more pissy than usual.

"You tell me, gay arse." Gajeel laughed and pushed Gray by his shoulder. "How many guys did you talk to last night at that gay strip club?"

"What is your problem?" Gray pushed back. "I told you a thousand times– I'm not gay!" he defended himself, not noticing the people gathering.

He heard Lucy call out for him, but ignored it. "Gray—"

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Why would I ever want to be gay? I'm not, and never will be! I would never dream of it! Do I need to spell it out for you? I'm not gay, unlike the stupid, pink-haired loser who thinks he knows everything!" he yelled out, not thinking of what he was saying or where he was; he just need to vent out his anger.

He threw a punch at Gajeel and they began to fight. Gajeel then let out his infamous laugh. "Gihi," he smirked, "Welcome to the homophobic team."

Gray took a step back, confused. "Homopho— what?" he then recalled what he had said. Realization hit him and he looked around, feeling small by everyone's stare on him. Their whispers finally reached his ear. "I— I didn't—"

"You don't need to defend yourself. You admitted what you felt. Maybe you could join my guys and I whenever we scare a few people," he suggested with the sardonic look in his red eyes.

"Screw you, Redfox," Gray cursed, spitting on the ground beside Gajeel's feet before walking as fast as he could away front he crowd and the scene. He could hear Lucy's feet run after him, but he didn't slow down.

"Gray!" she once again called out. When she finally reached beside him, she gave him a sympathetic look on his face, but said nothing. 

"I'm not homophobic," he whispered to her. She nodded, trying to tell him he really didn't need to explain himself. "I was just angry at him. Why didn't he just give me a direct answer?"

At first, Lucy thought he was talking about Gajeel, but she then got confused. Direct answer to what? She knew now was not the best time to ask any questions, so she decided to keep her mouth shut. He would tell her whatever he wanted to whenever he was comfortable. She wouldn't pressure him.

Though it was pretty obvious he was gay. Lucy didn't mind, she would just wait for him to tell her. He was way too passionate and defensive when Gajeel would tease him. Gray had to have some experience. It seemed like Gray was defending more than himself; there was someone in Gray's eyes. If there wasn't, Lucy was ready to set him up with one of her friends. She just had to wait until he came out.

"Gray," she called out again, slowly dragging his name out quietly. "I'm sure he will give you an answer when he's ready." She didn't know how to reassure him if he wasn't telling her the situation, but she was going to try her best. It would be difficult— it was, but she was still going to try.

"He thinks I'm not. I can handle it!" he harshly whispered before shaking his head at the blonde and giving her a small smile, though it did resemble a frown. "Sorry, I'll see you later."

"Bye, Gray—"

But he was already walking home, drowning in his mistakes and, for the first time, dreading to go home.

 

-edited-


	3. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> original at wattpad.com/xxdark_passengerxx

he found out and we made a new deal

"That's a wrap!"

Natsu smiled and deeply sighed when he heard the words he was waiting for leave his director's mouth. It had been a long day, and today, he just felt extremely tired and all he wanted to do was sleep; but not before talking to Gray.

It was the one thing he looked forward to; to see Gray. After a long day of work, all he wanted to do was jump into bed with Gray to cuddle with him as they watched Netflix, probably The 100. Either that, or Bates Motel. Bates Motel was actually Natsu's favourite T.V. show, and he would always ask why Gray couldn't look like Freddie Highmore.

"Natsu!" Looking to his left, he saw his agent, Evergreen, run up to him. Putting work aside, Evergreen was actually someone Natsu was close to. Her and his manager, Erza, had helped him through so much, like getting in the Hollywood Industry in the first place. "Clean yourself up quickly. You've got an interview in five."

He nodded and she ran away, the clicking of her heels fading from his hearing. He could see some chairs set up in a distance on the sidelines. The interviewer who was here yesterday was sitting on one of the chairs. One of Natsu's crew members was harshly yelling at the interviewer, though he tried to make it subtle. Natsu shrugged it off and left to clean himself up.

When he returned, he gave a his famous toothy smile and sat across from Jason, the interviewer. Jason mimicked a smile back and got his pen and paper ready, as he signaled the cameraman to begin rolling. "Hi, Natsu. How are you today?"

"I'm all right, thank you." Natsu was always taught to ask how others were, but the Hollywood Industries taught him to just shut his mouth. He was there to answer questions, not to have a conversation. As much as Natsu protested, they wouldn't listen– so he had to. Stupid contract.

Questions were asked and answered. Natsu could see some fear and hesitantly in his eyes. He also noticed the shaking of his agent's head. Not to him, but to Jason. What exactly were they hiding from him? It had to be something serious. As badly as he wanted to ask, he couldn't; one, because he was being recorded, and two, because he wasn't going to get an answer anyway. Erza was a stubborn woman.

Jason then glared at Natsu's manager, Erza, who was standing beside Natsu's agent, Evergreen. Natsu wondered where the sudden bravery and from. How could he glare at Erza without flinching— or dying? Natsu had to admit, he held some admiration for Jason's idiocy.

Jason then adverted his attention back to the curios pinkette who had his eyebrow raised in question. He didn't say anything, so Jason decided to ask the next question. "So, Natsu. Have you seen the video?"

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head. Was this what they were hiding from him? He wondered why. "Video?" He could see Erza and Evergreen tense up at the mention of this 'video.' How bad could it be? It was just a video— or could be anything. Hopefully, it was just a cute puppy playing with a balloon, and Erza and Evergreen were just overreaction. "Uh, no?"

"Well, would you like to see it? I think it's best that you do before you answer any more of my questions," Jason reasoned as he took out his phone (which he had slipped in his pocket before Natsu arrived) and handed it to Natsu, pressing the play button. He watched Natsu's reaction as they video began.

"What is your problem?"

Natsu smiled when he saw his raven. His heart warmed as he got butterflies in his tummy. The smile, however, quickly fell from his face when he saw Gray push a taller man back. Why was he being so aggressive to the man? Natsu never knew Gray was so violent when he wasn't around; maybe this just was how Gray was. Shaking that off, he listened, with a solemn look on his face, to Gray's protests to his sexuality. Natsu bit his lip; it wasn't his business and he couldn't tell Gray how to handle situations; but him saying this really did kind of sting.

Natsu thought about it for half a second. Gray and him have been dating for so long— more than six years. Does that mean that Gray's business was Natsu's business? Or did they still have those boundaries they weren't allowed to cross?

Shrugging the thought, he continued to watch the video. People began to gather in l and he saw a blonde girl trying to pull Gray away from the taller man, who Natsu assumed provoked Gray. They began to argue when suddenly, Gray screamed some words that pierced through Natsu's heart.

"Why would I ever want to be gay? I'm not, and never will be! I would never dream of it! Do I need to spell it out for you? I'm not gay, unlike the stupid, pink-haired loser who thinks he knows everything!"

The person taking the video shuffled and then video ended. Though it was over, Natsu was frozen. His grasp with his teeth on his lip tightened and refused to waver. He swore if he pressed down just a little hard, he would draw blood. He knew this, but he knew he would also let out how he was feeling inside if he let his bottom lip breath for even half a second.

His green eyes looked to Jason, who only looked at him with a sympathetic look; or was pity? Natsu wasn't sure if he even knew the difference anymore. Was there a difference? he wondered. 

How could Gray say that? Natsu thought. He knew Gray didn't want people to know his sexuality. Natsu knew Gray only wanted that taller man to stop his teasing remarks, but he felt as if Gray may have taken it too far.

"Pink-haired loser," Natsu whispered to himself, "Who think he knows everything."

Natsu knew what that was about— what else would it be? It had to be about Natsu's reaction to the sudden proposal. Natsu thought they were okay from last night's dinner, he thought they ended on a good note, especially after the the fatigue he felt because of their late night talking.

"I'm— I'm sorry," Natsu apologized in a slight shaky voice, getting up abruptly. He had almost knocked the table down; it did and he fumbled to catch it, but Jason caught the small object and placed it upright. "I have to reschedule this interview."

"Natsu—"

He ignored Ezra's calls and left the filming studio. Some fans were outside, but he was in no good mood to greet them properly, the way he felt they deserved. As much as he wanted to talk to the fans, he couldn't. He might just snap at the people for no reason. Just because he wanted to scream his heart out until it choked out of his throat, doesn't mean other people had to feel the same as him.

Quickly, he got in the limousine.

—

Gray opened the door hesitantly. He wasn't a coward, he had to face his mistakes head on. It's what Natsu told him to do. He always thought it was the easiest thing ever, but now he understood what Natsu had meant then. What mistakes had Natsu ever made?

He could only think of one, but even that was an innocent mistake. Early in their relationship, Natsu had accidentally stayed the night. Gray had woken up the next morning and left to take a shower. Natsu, who had still been in his groggy and sleepy state, mindlessly walked into the bathroom. He quickly apologized and ran home.

Gray shook the memory off with a small smile. Those were good times; the honeymoon phase of the relationship was great to Gray, but he wouldn't give up what he had for it again. He went thrugh too much with Natsu to just throw it out the window.

He slipped off his black and white shoes. Sliding off his socks, he placed them in the black box that held all their dirty and smelly socks. He placed his laptop bag in the staircase, not caring what happened to it at the moment, and searched around for Natsu. 

"Nat?" Gray called out, looking into the kitchen, hoping to see his beloved cooking some lasagna. "Natsu!" Again, he yelled out louder than before, but no response.

Gray knew Natsu had heard him. His hearing was phenomenal, and if Gray had a dime for every time Natsu heard what he said under his breath, Gray— still wouldn't half the price of the mansion (since the mansion cost more than five university students' four-year tuition fee), but he would be extremely rich.

Slowly, he headed upstairs. Each step he took became heavier and louder for him. Maybe his feet were being filled with the dread he felt in his heart and sweaty palms. As tough as it was, he made it to the top of the bloody stairs. Of course their house would have a million steps. He let it go, however, as he headed for the room they both shared.

He opened the door slowly, cringing at its creaking, and saw Natsu sitting on their bed, watching something on his phone. He didn't look up when the raven walked in, so Gray took a step forward, trying to talk to him.

"Nat—"

"—want to be gay? I'm not, and never will be!"

Gray gasped at his own voice and wanted to speak up, but couldn't. His voice was caught in his throat when he saw Natsu finally look up at him through his teary, green eyes. Gray hated to see Natsu sad and cry, but Gray hated it even more when it was because of him. He hated the broken, vulnerable look since Natsu was always so strong and powerful.

"Pink-haired loser," Natsu slowly echoed Gray's voice at the same time Gray did in the video. His voice had slightly cracked and wavered, but he refused to stop what he was doing. "Who thinks he knows everything."

Again, Gray tried to talk to him, really hoping Natsu would shut the video. If he were to say it again, all anyone would be able to hear is regret. "Natsu—"

"It's about the proposal, isn't it?" Natsu felt himself laugh He felt like he should have chosen his words even more carefully last night. "Maybe it's because you thought about it, realized you couldn't handle it and wanted nothing to do with it, and now you're trying to find a way to leave me."

"Natsu, I would never," Gray managed to finally say. "Honestly, I was pretty upset at you. For a moment, I felt like you didn't think I knew anything.. but I never thought of leaving you. Natsu, baby, please—"

"Just stop, Gray," Natsu whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away, as if Gray wouldn't have seen it if he was quick enough. "Whether you meant it or not, things like this put thoughts into people's heads."

"I'll prove to you that I still want to marry you," Gray promised. "A week, right? You think I can't handle cameras and questions? Maybe tho video will prove that I can react okay to negative attention."

Natsu stared at him, no more sobs escaped his lips or tears from his eyes. "A– And," he stuttered out. "And if you can't?"

Gray watched Natsu bite his lip, so he looked down at his shoes and the burning red colour of their carpet. "Let's hope it doesn't go to that—"

"Gray," Natsu said seriously. The look on his face pleaded Gray to just tell him, though he had and idea of what the answer would be.

"Baby—"

"Gray," Natsu said again. "Just tell me."

The raven sighed and kept his gaze on the ground. "Then I'll leave."

-edited-


	4. Chapter 4

the ignorant worker

day one

Gray gripped the strap of his blue laptop bag as he walked down the corridors of one of his university buildings. Everyone was either staring at him with judging eyes or whispering with their terribly loud voices. It was getting on his damn nerves, but he couldn't snap at them. He had to stay calm— for Natsu; though he had to admit, it was pretty difficult. As difficult as it was, he realized if him and Natsu ever went public, this would be nothing compared to what he would have to deal with. That small thought slightly scared him.

He felt incredibly stupid. How could he make a deal like that with Natsu? He knew how easily he would be angered and he knew how stupid the deal he made was. It could easily be broken and he would lose Natsu just like that. Maybe he could actually do it, and maybe he will finally get to marry Natsu. A guy could dream, he supposed. But when do dreams ever come true?

Gray let out a sigh, a million of his mixed feelings being let out into that one gesture. He was doing his best not to glare and punch the living daylights out of every craphead, which, at the moment, was literally everyone. He wanted to yell at them to shut up, to mind their own business, but he kept repeating Natsu's name over and over again in his mind. That seemed to keep him sane for a bit. Natsu seemed like his lifeline for a lot of situations.

"Gray!" He looked over his right shoulder behind him and saw Lucy trying to catch up to him while slightly panting. He stopped walking, and she put her hand on his shoulder before retreating it, forgetting how tall he was compared to her. "How are you... holding up?" she asked between pants.

Gray shrugged, not daring to tell her he was okay because of Natsu Dragneel. He felt bad for not telling her about his relationship with a famous actor, but he couldn't tell her. He didn't know why, even Natsu said it was okay, but he still kept his lips sealed from her. "I haven't snapped at anyone so far. No one has a broken nose, so I think I'm doing okay."

Lucy suddenly regained her breath and she stood up straight, staring into Gray's icy blue eyes with confusion written all over her face. "Huh?" She blinked in confusion, thinking she misheard him. "You're all right? Really?"

Again, he shrugged, understanding her doubts about him. He was just as confused— would have been, anyway, had Natsu never crossed his mind. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay," Lucy smiled. Gray could tell she wanted to persist and ask him what was wrong, especially after giving her his answer; but she held back, for his sake. Gray told her things on his own time, and she respected that. A reason Gray liked her as his friend.

As they walked, they would hear familiar lines from what Gray said yesterday. 'I'm not,' 'Loser who thinks,' and 'never will be.' Those were some words that constantly repeated in Gray's mind as he continuously picked up the certain words. Lucy would glare at people as the two walked down the never-ending hallway. Gray appreciated her and what she was doing, but he wished she wouldn't give them the attention they wanted.

Hypocrite, he thought to himself. If he weren't doing this for Natsu, he was sure a good amount of people would be in the hospital for just looking at him. He would have loved to do so, but he couldn't; he had to show Natsu how serious he was about the proposal and everything. This was his ticket to an entire lifetime of happiness with Natsu, and he wasn't going to easily give that up, not when it was so close.

Right as they were about to enter their lecture hall, the last person Gray wanted to see strolled up to them and waved. "Hey—"

"Get the hell out of my face," Gray snarled as he ignored the red-eyed man. Gray glared and walked right in, so tempted to shove Gajeel out of the way. Instead, he just walked right by Gajeel. Lucy seemed to hesitantly follow in after him. She didn't say anything as they sat down in their seats.

Surprisingly, Gray didn't snap at anyone who snickered at him. He would hear the whispers from the other students, and hiss under his breath, but he refused to take it out on the people that made him this way. The most aggressive he got was when he snapped the pencil he wasn't using in half. Everyone seemed to shut up after that. Though they shut their mouth from running, their eyes still watched him. What the hell did they want from him?

Luckily for him and Lucy, they both only had one lecture today. Neither complained since there wasn't much to whine about. Gray felt as if a small break could help him get through the day alone. He knew Natsu wouldn't be home and grimaced at that. He would be sure to wait for him, no matter how late it got. He needed to see Natsu's face before going to sleep tonight. Everything would be reassured once he set his eyes on his pink-headed lover.

Lucy and him had decided to hang out a bit after their lecture. Recently, Lucy had spoken up and admitted that she felt as if they weren't hanging out as much as they used to; and since Gray had nothing to do at home, he agreed to chill with her for a bit. After all, he did miss her whining and complaints about her rent. Natsu would let Gray help her out by giving her some money. Lucy would question where it came from, but he wouldn't ever tell her. She didn't need to know, and, after a few times, she just accepted the money with a smile of appreciation.

After minutes of deciding where to go, they agreed on just going to the coffee shop somewhere down the street outside of their campus. They were both still tired from their three hour lecture. They thought they could properly plan to hang out on a day some other time when they were both well-rested and actually wanting to do something.

Walking in, they heard the small chime. Gray thought it was a little cliché to have it, but realized all— or most — stores had it. The coffee shop felt homey to Gray; a fireplace, some magazines and books, and quiet music playing in the background.

Gray laughed at the music silently. If Natsu heard what they were playing, he would pout, whip out his phone, and play some music. Probably the heaviest thing in his playlists, like Suicide Silence. If he had done it before when they were together, Gray was sure Natsu wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

They walked to the counter and a girl with white hair smiled at them. Gray read her name tag, which 'Lisanna' was written across. "Hello there, and welcome to Strauss' Cafe. Are you ready to order?" she asked in a gentle voice with a smile.

They nodded their heads and Lucy decided to go first. "One French Vanilla and a Double-Chocolate Doughnut, please," Lucy ordered with a smile. She and Lisanna averted their attention to Gray, waiting for him to say what he wanted.

Before he could ask for a double-double, another woman with longer, white hair came up to the counter and shoved Lisanna behind her. She seemed like an older version of Lisanna, a little rude, too. "Sorry, we don't serve homophobes here," she sneered and hinted at the door with her blue eyes, asking them to leave. Her eyes seemed so kind, why wasn't she?

"Mira—"

"Go clean the dishes, Lis," Mira demanded in a stern voice. Hesitantly, Lisanna gave an apologetic look to the two and left to the back of the kitchen area to do as she was told. Mira, again, sneered at the them. "I want you to leave."

"I'm not homo—

"Don't make me call somebody."

Gray bit his lip to prevent himself from punching the older woman. Instead of doing as he desired to do, he spun on his heels and stormed out of the small coffee shop. He wanted to scream out every curse word he knew, but cursing wasn't worth losing Natsu over. Nothing was.

He suddenly stopped everything he was doing and began to think. Natsu wasn't here. He couldn't see Gray punch or yell at anyone—he would have no idea what Gray would do. Gray was so tempted to run back in and give the woman a piece of his mind and fist, but he held back, knowing Natsu would somehow find out what he did. Gray couldn't even bear to think about the disappointed look he would get from Natsu.

"Gray!" he heard Lucy call after him as she dragged out his name. She seemed to be chasing after him a lot, and he seemed to be running out a lot. "Gray!" she panted as she stopped beside him, trying to regain her breath.

"Lucy—"

"It's okay," she smiled, "We can just go somewhere else. Their pastries are always so dry anyway. I have had their coffee before, too. They wouldn't have listened to your order; they always had doubled the sugar you ask for. Trust me, we're better off elsewhere."

"Lucy," Gray tried again with a small smile. "Go enjoy your day. I would hate to ruin it. Besides, I have a lot to study for midterms, so I'm probably going to go to the library to study."

"Then let me study with you," she persisted, her eyes pleading for him to say yes. Maybe they weren't hanging out exactly, but they were together. She didn't care what they were doing; she just wanted her friend.

"You know I like to study alone," he sadly recalled and he saw her smile fall off her face slowly. He hated to push her away, but he just needed to be by himself for now. "Plus, you're easily distracted."

She pouted and looked to the side. "Not that easily." She shrugged it off and nodded to him, sort of understanding what he was feeling. "All right then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

He waved goodbye. "See you then."

-

Gray angrily fumbled with the keys in his hands. "Freaking— Goddamnit!" he cursed as he dropped his keys accidentally. He stepped on it out of anger. Sighing, he picked it up and jammed the keys into the lock. He was not in the mood for anything.

"Gray!"

He wasn't in the mood for anything, except for Natsu.

He watched as Natsu ran up to him with his signature toothy grin. The shorter male wrapped his amrs around Gray's neck and Gray embraced the other's waist. "Hi, Natsu," he whispered.

He looked at Gray expectantly. "How was your day? Did anything happen? Are you okay? Please tell me you—"

"My day was perfect because I couldn't stop thinking about you," Gray admitted. He did give a small lie, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Natsu what had happened at the coffee shop with that woman. "Nothing interesting happened. Just whispers, you know?"

He nodded. "Are you okay?" he repeated, concern filled his green eyes and Gray knew because of him, his eyes were like that.

"I'm fine," now, "because I got to see you again."

"Good," Natsu whispered, his left hand in Gray's raven locks. "I'm glad." He leaned up and kissed Gray on his lips. They both smiled into the kiss and Gray felt himself falling in love all over again.

Just six more days, he thought as he pulled away from the pink-haired man. Happiness was now in his beautifully bright, green eyes. You've been through one, all you need to do is get through six more, and you can marry this wonderful man.

 

-edited-


	5. five

the first punch

day two

Gray blinked a few times, letting the light adjust to his eyes. He yawned before sitting up and groaning as he stretched his arms over his head. He gave a sigh when he saw the empty spot next to him. It was like Natsu was never even there.

In a pair of sweatpants, he trudged his feet down the stairs. He thought about skipping breakfast, but then ignored the thought; he was sure that if he did, Natsu would have more than a million things to scold him for.

When he made his way toward their kitchen, he suddenly lightened up and smiled when he saw some breakfast he actually liked already made. It seemed pretty warm, which meant Natsu couldn't have left that long ago.

His eyes caught onto something, a piece of paper. He picked up the supposed note that laid beside the breakfast plate and smiled even more as the words had warmed his heart.

Don't expect this everyday. I just thought that maybe you would want an appreciation gift or something. It's a one time thing.

Still smiling, he put the piece of paper down and took a seat on the table. He ate the food cooked by Natsu. Though Natsu seemed like he was perfect in everything, he definitely wasn't in cooking. He always had this pyro side of him and he had this obsession with fire. When cooking, he would usually forget about food and just raise the fire, fascinated by its flames. That would cause the food to burn. This time, however, it seemed like he did slightly better; Gray hoped he wouldn't get any food poisoning this time. It was the thought that counted, Gray always had to remind himself.

After finishing his burnt breakfast, he ran upstairs to change his clothes and brush his teeth. When he did, he skipped back down and flew out the door, but not before locking it. When he got to the pavement, Gray groaned and gave a sigh of frustration. He realized he forgot his earbuds inside. Were earbuds more important than class?

Gray thought so, but he didn't stop to turn around. Instead, he continued to walk to his bus stop. It wasn't as quiet as he thought it would be; for some odd reason, the cars on the streets made a lot of noise, and that calmed him down. It was odd, but he didn't care much for it to ask himself why.

He hopped onto the bus and waited for his next stop.

—

He found Lucy and they had begun to walk to their classes. Lucy had her first lecture in less than ten minutes, and Gray had his in twenty, so they decided to walk to her building. Gray would just walk back when it was near his lecture time.

Before they could enter Lucy's building, Gajeel came. Of course he had to come and bother them. Gray didn't think there would ever be a day where Gajeel didn't show his face; he would be surprised if Gajeel ever stayed away and scowled from a distance.

"The hell you want?" Gray hissed out, wanting nothing more than to shove the man away. Instead, he clenched his fists by his sides and glared at the man with piercings covering his face.

"You've been acting all weird ever since the video came out," Gajeel teased with suspicion. Gray slightly tensed up, but said nothing. He would only speak when he could think of a good excuse; this wasn't something he was prepared for. "You don't argue and you don't fight."

"Screw off," Gray hissed as he sidestepped, hoping to get away from Gajeel. Unfortunately, the man did what Gray had. "I'm not going to fight you, so why don't you just get out of my way?"

"Maybe you just need to be pushed." Gajeel smirked and Gray bit the inside of his cheek, but that didn't help much. Maybe next time, he should just bite his tongue.

"Maybe you need to learn when to get lost," he hissed out. Gray, again, tried to take another step to the side, but the other did the same as him.

Before Gray could say anything else, he felt a fist punch his face and he stumbled back a couple of feet. Gray's face was up as he held his nose. He felt the familiar feeling of blood and he chuckled, wondering what Natsu would say to this.

Instead of scoffing and walking away like he most likely should have done, he slightly gave in to Gajeel's wishes. Gray spat on Gajeel's shiny black shoes. Some blood was in the spit and Gajeel gave a groan. Gray said nothing else as he walked towards the nearest bathroom while holding his nose. Lucy followed and tried to help him by taking a look, but he didn't let her. Instead, he gently pushed her aside as he entered the gents' bathroom.

"Frick," he whispered to himself as he looked at his nose. He wiped the blood from it and held it. It didn't look broken, Gray gave a sigh of relief for that. It might be easier to hide it from Natsu than he thought.

Gray scoffed himself for the thought he had. Yeah, right. As oblivious as Natsu always had seemed, he was observant in this kind of stuff— and it pissed Gray off because he could never hide anything from Natsu. Natsu always just knew, and Gray didn't get what superpowers his boyfriend had.

Maybe if he got some of Lucy's foundation— or was it concealer? He didn't know, but maybe if he got some of her make-up, he could cover up the redness and maybe be successful in hiding something from Natsu. Gray grimaced again when he realized his skin tone was fairer and paler than Lucy's. It wouldn't work without making it too obvious. Maybe he could buy some? He definitely would, but he just didn't know how it all worked.

Suddenly, the door opened and a guy walked in, snarling at Gray once he saw him. Gray ignored the guy and tried to stop the bleeding. Nothing worked. He had a bloody nose before, so how the hell did he forget how to deal with t? The one time he actually needed to remember.

He heard a scoff and turned his attention from the reflection of his bloody nose to the guy who had walked in. "You deserve that," he hissed out.

Gray didn't want to argue or have a fight, but he had enough. Biting his tongue just wasn't his thing. "Excuse me?" he replied, an eyebrow raised at the man with blond hair and blue eyes. Gray stared at the man. He remembered the day he asked Natsu what his type was.

"Type? I don't have one. I mean, guys with blond hair are really attractive, but dark hair's cool, too! It contrasts with mine, so that's a plus. As great as your dark, blue eyes are, I feel like if they were brighter... no, never mind. You're perfect and I love you for you, your beauty was a plus." Natsu smiled. "Nah, I'm just kidding. You're as ugly as they get. Ha."

This man was probably a better fit for being Natsu's boyfriend than he was. Gray sighed and averted his thoughts about his slight doubts. He realized the blond man began to speak.

"Why?" he asked. "Why do you hate people like me so much?" He shook his head at Gray.

Taken back by his question, Gray tried to defend himself, but how could he? What were the right words to say? "I— I don't—"

"Shut up, homophobe." The man glared and sneered at Gray.

Is this how he was going to be known as now? Gray wondered as he felt something in the back of his mind. He didn't know what it was or what the small voice was trying to say. All he could think about was the man in front of him. He desperately wanted the man to change his opinion of him. 

"I'm not! I swear!" Gray almost got on his knees. He was ready to plead for the other to change his perceptive of Gray. He didn't know why, but he couldn't deal with people hating him. Maybe it was because they accused him of something he wasn't?

"Yeah, whatever." The blond rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. It was obvious he wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon. "If I go to hell, you're definitely coming with me, you arse."

Because I'm gay, too, Gray thought in his mind. He didn't dare say the words aloud, he might've been seen as a liar, as if he were mocking gays. This guy didn't know who Gray really was. He thought Gray was a disgusting homophobe— how are you supposed to change your perspective on that?

When the guy finally walked into the stall, Gray sighed deeply and looked towards the mirror, staring at his still bloody nose and droopy, blue eyes— as Natsu would say it. He bit his lip and looked down at the sink. This was going to be a long day.

He suddenly looked back up again. He felt Gajeel's eyes in the mirror, but saw nothing. He silently laughed to himself. Gajeel may have thrown the first punch, but it was his turn to run; in less than six days, Gray was sure as hell that he would show Gajeel what he could truly do.

—

Gray practically ran home when he got off the bus. It was still a bit far away, but Gray was determined to sprint the kilometre back. Maybe Natsu was finally home, he thought. They could hang out and maybe do something. It was what Gray needed.

When he got home, he sighed when he didn't hear his pinkette yell or run up to him. He wasn't home at the moment. Gray took off his shoes and headed towards the kitchen and found their cook. Maybe he could make a surprise dinner for Natsu for fun? He supposed that could a good start on this at-home-date.

While he was busy making dinner, he hadn't realized the front door had opened and closed. He placed the finished dinner on top of the stove and turned around, only to be tackled by a shorter man. Natsu wasn't that short compared to Gray, maybe only by half an inch to an inch at most, but Gray still teased Natsu about it. Arguing with Natsu was Gray's favourite thing to do.

"Hi, Flame-Brain," Gray greeted with a smile as they both walked to the living room. They turned on the T.V. as the sound faintly played in the background. Gray noticed that Spongebob was playing. Of course that was what Natsu was watching this morning.

"Hey, Ice Princess." Nagsu smirked and sat on the sofa, his legs on it too. Gray sat down, Natsu's legs in his lap. "Tiring day?"

Gray groaned. "Yeah, it gets more annoying every day."

"Can't handle it?" Natsu teased with a smirk. He didn't mean it, and Gray knew it. Gray also knew that arguing was Natsu's favourite thing, too.

"Of course I can!" Gray defended. "It's just Gajeel's an arse."

"Ha," Natsu laughed mockingly. "I bet he beats you in every fight you've ever had with him!"

Natsu knew about Gajeel. He would use it to make fun of Gray. Even though Gray knew it wasn't true and he didn't mean it, he would get really defensive and sometimes, Natsu and him would playfully, physically fight.

"Are you kidding? He's always crying because I beat his butt!" Gray crossed his arms over his bare chest as he glared at his boyfriend.

"Why don't you prove it, you stripper?" Natsu snickered as he hinted at Gray's shirt being gone.

"Stripper?" Gray whispered to himself as he looked down. "God, damn it! When did this happen?" He looked beside the couch and found his shirt crumbled on the floor. He sighed and went back to glaring at Natsu, who had a smug look on his face.

"Fight me, you popsicle!" Natsu yelled as he punched Gray in the face. When he did, Gray suddenly remembered the punch Gajeel had given earlier. He was so glad Natsu hadn't noticed. He just had to pray Natsu would continue to be oblivious to his nose. "I'm all fired up!"

Gray smiled, which turned to a smirk. "You're on, Ash-For-Brains!"

The two began to playfully fight. At some point, Natsu had fallen off the sofa, but grabbed onto the chain around Gray's neck, bringing him down with him. The two fell, Gray laying on top of Natsu.

"Get off me! You way a ton and you smell like a teenager with all that sweat!" Natsu pushed Gray off as the other tried to stay where he was. Finally, Natsu had pushed Gray to the side and his eyes had caught the T.V. He gasped at the movie playing. "It's Saw!"

Gray looked at the screen and saw the beginning of Natsu's favourite movie playing. Gray smiled as the two laid on the floor watching the movie. Somehow, Gray had managed to lay his head in Natsu's lap. Natsu had soon fallen asleep and his body weight shifted to the right, laying his body down on the ground. Gray's head fell off of Natsu's lap and he groaned.

Instead of scolding the pink-haired man, Gray sighed as he grabbed the blanket from the sofa and draped it over him and Natsu. Soon after, he fell asleep beside the mumbling pinkette. 

-edited-


	6. six

his smile makes everything okay

day three

Groaning, Gray sat up on the couch. He held his back, feeling a slight pain in it, probably from sleeping on the floor. He blinked a few times before looking down on the floor and back to his spot on the sofa. Natsu must have put him here when he left this morning.

As he stood up, Grya spat out every curse word he knew, and vowed to never fall asleep on the floor again. He knew that Natsu was probably going to randomly fall asleep on the ground again though, and he knew he would follow him.

Gray shook off the thought as he decided to eat breakfast, since he was already downstairs anyway. After Gray poured in the milk, the cereal following afterwards, he looked where the sink was at. He saw no dirty dishes. Natsu hated using the dishwasher, Gray still didnt know why. Gray began to wonder where Natsu put his dishes after breakfast.

Maybe he washed them already, Gray thought as his eyes drifted to the drying rack. Empty. Gray wondered if Natsu even had breakfast this morning. Did he ever? How did Gray not know?

He sighed as he finished his breakfast and placed the bowl in the sink. He would have to ask Natsu when he got back.

—

Gray couldn't find Lucy anywhere when he got on campus. They had their first lecture together, so he was going to walk with her. After another minute of a failed search, he took out his phone to call her. Right before he dialled her number, Gajeel, of course, strolled up to him.

Gray sneered as he turned around, trying to avoid any more conflict with the man. Unfortunately, Gajeel followed after him with his annoying smirk. He stood in front of Gray, forcing the latter to stop moving and still his feet.

"Whatcha doin', homophobe?" Gajeel snickered as he raised an eyebrow. He became amused when he saw Gray's glare deepen. Slowly, he was getting riled up even more, and that was not a good thing for the raven.

He didn't even try to protest against his false accusations. "Just get out of my way. Can your microscopic brain not understand when not to bother someone?" Instead of sidestepping like he had done the day beside, he spun on his heels, but Gajeel quickly rounded around Gray and was in front of him.

He didn't say anything further, but just gave him a mused look. "What?"

Gray lightly shoved Gajeel out of his way. Gajeel moved a few feet, but got ready for a fight. Before Gray could give him what he wanted, Lucy ran up to Gray and pulled on his arm, guiding him away from the fight. He was grateful for her— for saving his relationship with Natsu. She didn't know how much he appreciated her.

He let her drag him to their class. He was still a bit out of it. He wonder why he got so provoked by Gajeel. It was only the third day— he wasn't even half way into the week and he almost lost it. 

He had zoned out, so when he sat down, he was slightly startled. Lucy smiled and he gave her one back. The lecture started and he took out his laptop.

Lucy, who sat beside him, kept poking him since she found the lecture too boring. Gray always questioned how philosophy never fascinated her, it certainly amazed him. He didn't know why, he just liked the concept of it.

"This might be a really bad time to bring it up," Lucy whispered, hesitancy all over her voice. "But I have something to ask about the video. Natsu Dragneel hasn't said anything about it, no reaction. How do you think he is?"

Gray shrugged, not wanting to give away too much. "If he hasn't responded to it, I think he's all right. He would've done something if it upset him, right?"

"I guess," she agreed. "But what could he do?"

Gray stopped typing on his laptop as he thought about the question. "He could," his voice trailed off as he began to think of what Natsu really could do– or what he would do. "Just write out a note on his Twitter about how 'you be you' and 'gay or not, you're human.'"

"True."

"Wait," Gray looked to her, a look of wonder on his face. "How did you know I had been talking about Natsu in the video?" A pink-haired man could've been anyone— maybe not actually since there weren't many pink-headed males, but out of everyone, how did she know it was him?

"One, you just admitted it," she answered slyly. "Two, we don't know any other guy with pink hair; and three, you just seem like you wouldn't like the guy."

Gray shrugged and nodded his head as he began to type again, upset he missed a few notes that could have helped him. "I guess."

—

After successfully avoiding Gajeel after his second lecture, Gray met up with Lucy and they walked out the building. They walked on the pavement towards Lucy's residence. What neither of them had anticipated was — what looked like was worth a million dollars — an expensive car driving beside them slowly.

Gray recognized the bright, red car and gawked as him and Lucy stopped walking, as did the car. The window rolled down and a man, with sunglasses covering his green eyes and a black hood covering all of his hair, gave a smile, showing off all his sharp, white canines.

Gray smiled back at the familiar face. He was happy Natsu was sort of becoming public with him. Maybe he felt like Gray could really go through this week. Gray was suddenly filled with some determination.

He looked to his left and realized he had completely forgotten about Lucy. Now he would have to think of an excuse and make up a lie of who this was. At the moment, however, he couldn't do that. Instead he waved her off.

"I'll see you later," he quickly said to Lucy. Before she could question him or say anything, Gray ran to Natsu's car and she shook her head, a slight smile placed on her lips as she began to walk home.

When Gray walked up the Natsu's window, Natsu smirked. Gray, already knowing what Natsu would say, waited by the driver's door.

"Get in, loser. We're going shopping." Natsu laughed, as did Gray as he got in the passenger seat of the car. Natsu gave him one last smile before driving off somewhere. Gray wondered why he wasn't throwing up everywhere, but remembered about some pills he got from his doctor. Gray leaned back and stared at the road up ahead, deciding to ask just in case.

"What about your motion sickness?" Gray asked.

Natsu shrugged and picked up a bottle from the glove department. Gray nodded as he recognized the pills. "Obviously," Natsu teased. 

Where are we going?" Gray yelled over the loud music playing. They had been driving for a good five minutes and he had no clue where Natsu was taking him.

Natsu's stopped singling along to Motionless In White and smiled at Gray. "You'll see, loser." He smirked and opened his mouth, and Gray already had his hands over his ears. "You can't kill all of us!"

"Jesus Christ," Gray whispered as he heard his boyfriend trying to do some 'screaming-singing,' which he clearly sucked at. "Just drive."

Natsu laughed at his boyfriend's reaction and did as he was told, the smile never leaving his face. He made a sharp left turn and Gray leaned over to Natsu's side, grumbling as he regained his posture. He glared at Natsu, who gave him an innocent look. "What?"

Before Gray could curse him out, Natsu abruptly stopped the car. "Jerk!" he yelled as he almost hit his head against the dashboard.

"Fine," Natsu placed his hand on his phone and unlocked it, scrolling through some of the songs he had saved on Spotify. He smirked and decided to tease his boyfriend a little bit. "I'll play our throwback song. Would that make you the slightest bit less grouchy?"

"Shut up," Gray grumbled as he crossed his arms and glared at the outside world. Upon coming to the realization that he had just proven Natsu's point, he let out a groan of frustration as Natsu just laughed.

"Black dress–" Gray couldn't help but let out a smile. After all, it was one of the first few songs they had heard when they had begun dating. "With the tights underneath."

"Oh my gosh," Gray shook his head as he saw Natsu open his mouth to sing the song. He wished they could have these moments more often; but someone once told him to only wish for what you can reach. "Please don't. You're terrible— literally the worst. There's a reason you're an actor and not a singer."

"She's got money from her parents back east," Natsu screamed as Gray slouched in his seat. Natsu turned to him and quickly spoke. "I know you can't resist the line that's about to come." Natsu raised his eyebrows and returned his green eyes to the road.

"Tell your boyfriend," Natsu sang, the smirk still playing on his lips as he took occasional glances to the raven next to him, "if he says he's got beef."

"That I'm a vegetarian," Gray screamed along as he gave in to temptation. His scream held so much of what he felt; nostalgia, happiness, and anger for giving in and letting Natsu win. "And I ain't freaking scared of him!"

Before the chorus could even start, Natsu abruptly stopped the car again and Gray cursed his boyfriend again for the millionth time. Natsu was a reckless driver. He wanted to have fun with everything he did, so Gray stopped scolding him because of that. It's not like Natsu ever listened anyway.

"We're here."

Gray looked out the window and gawked at the beautiful site. They both loved to go the beach a lot, mostly to see how it looked and how it was designed; so, Natsu would take them to beach they had never been to every once in a while. It was their thing, and they both loved it.

"Welcome to our date," Natsu gave the other a smile as he pulled his hood down and took off his sunglasses. "Catch me if you can!" he yelled as he raced out of the car. As he ran, his shoes came off and he felt the warm sand beneath his feet.

Gray smirked and jumped out the car, took off his shoes, and chased the pinkette. Another thing did was make this deal; Natsu would be chased by Gray. If Gray surrendered first, Natsu would win and Gray would be his servant for three days. If Gray won by catching Natsu, Natsu is Gray's servant for three days. For most of the time, neither of them followed the deal; they would just do the chasing part.

"I'm going to get you!" Gray screamed as he increased his speed. Natsu slowed down to take a moment to look at Gray's expression and laugh. However, as soon as he had turned around, Gray had lunged froward and tackled Natsu to the burning sand beneath them.

"Got you," he smugly spoke as Natsu rolled his eyes.

They both lied down on the sand, feeling each other's presence and hearing the other's breathing. It was a comfortable silence— one they both loved very much. Silence was as good as hearing the other's voice. It was special and they both cherished it.

"Natsu," Gray hesitantly called out. The shorter hummed in response. "In the future— if we have one, I mean— you said you didn't want any kids. I know you were just saying that because I said that. Tell me the truth; do you want one?"

Natsu was as hesitant as Gray. "No, I don't want a child. I want two," he whispered. "But I don't think that will ever happen. My life isn't one to share, you know? I wouldn't want to give someone a curse like this."

"Maybe it's not a curse, Natsu," Gray reassured with as smile. "It's just you. Just know, I would love a kid, or more, with you. I don't mind sharing my life— my world and my everything, which is you."

"Anyway," Natsu started, wanting to divert away from the topic. He didn't want to lead Gray on or anything. Children had always been a sensitive subject to Natsu. He couldn't because of his life, and because he had a terrible feeling that he would be an awful father. "How have you been doing?"

"I'm great. Surprisingly, I haven't punched anyone yet, so.. a good sign, I guess?" Gray wondered aloud. Natsu nodded. "What?"

"It's a great sign, Ice Cube."

"Shut it, Ash Breath."

"Make me, Refrigerator," Nagsu said as he stuck his tongue out and punched Gray.

Instantly, Gray got up and punched Natsu. "I will, Flame-Brain."

And the two continued to do what they loved to do; spar. It was what brought them close together, and they would never lose it— no matter how old. 

-edited-


	7. seven

a day with him is a lifetime in paradise

chapter seven

day four

As Gray was sleeping soundly, he was disruptively woken up by Natsu jumping up and down on his bed. From what he could tell with his droopy eyes in his sleepy state, Natsu seemed excited. For a second, he wondered what his lover was doing still in bed, but then remembered it was Saturday.

"What?" Gray asked, confused why the other was so excited and jumpy this morning. Then again, when was he not? That's when Gray noticed the small see-through Ziploc in his hand with a disc inside. He furrowed his eyebrows and returned his attention back to the green, happy eyes.

"Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?" he repeatedly screamed as he grabbed their laptop and turned it on. He typed his password in with inhumane speed and inserted the CD. A screen— video opened and Natsu paused it before turning to Gray.

"What?" Gray repeated in confusion as his eyes landed on the laptop screen. Gray genuinely did not know what to expect this to be. Natsu was very random and had the weirdest things to show; like that one time he had drawn a jellyfish on Gray's laptop because they had an argument.

"A scene!" Natsu yelled into Gray's ears. "From the movie! They decided to send it to me, since it's almost done." Natsu gave one last smile before returning his attention to the laptop. He clicked on a file and tried to find the video over many documents of the script he had.

"Good job, I'm proud of you," Gray praises with a genuine smile. He was so proud his boyfriend had come so far in life. They had known each other since they were little, so to see someone grow up— it almost brought tears to Gray's eyes, but he wouldn't admit it.

Natsu smiled back, with his eyes and mouth, like he always did. "It's my favourite scene, too, so I'm glad they sent this one. I think you'll love it. I sort of improvised, but they didn't mind. When I did so, all that ran through my mind was you. It's for you," Natsu explained in a gently and loving voice.

"Really?" Gray asked as he yawned, still lying down. It was really sweet— Natsu was always the one who was good with words and stuff like this; romance. It wasn't because he had experience or anything, it was just his nature to be loving. That was one of many things Gray loved about Natsu.

"Yes!" he exclaimed as he pulled Gray's arm, prompting him to sit up. "Gray Fullbuster, I dedicate and present to you my favourite scene to have ever acted out."

Out of his overwhelming excitement, Natsu shoved the laptop onto Gray's stomach. Gray groaned and grumbled incoherently as he sat up slightly. He began to watch the video as Natsu watched Gray for his reactions.

Gray had a bit of an idea what the movie was about, since Natsu said he was thinking about Gray in this scene. He pushed all thoughts aside and paid close attention to the words, expressions, acting, etc.

"You don't love me!" a girl screamed at Natsu as she tried to back away. She found a wall and slid down it.

"You don't get it, do you?" Movie-Natsu said as he sat on the floor, cross-legged. "I love you too much– and sometimes, I hate it. The sun rises, and not only do I wake up, but my thoughts about you do, too. However, when the sun sleeps and the moon has awoken, you're still there. Even when I'm asleep, you're in my dreams. You're always there for some reason, and yeah, it's great, but it's scary. I don't want to lose you again."

The girl shook her head. "Those are just words."

"I've proven myself many times— too many. I've saved you in a countless amount of situations, I've done nothing but shower you with my love, I've given you time. I've made time for you... if that alone isn't enough, I don't know what is."

The same scene played over and over again as the CD made a sound. Natsu cursed and took the CD out. "Couldn't they have at least given me a good CD that didn't skip? Damn it!"

Gray smiled at Natsu as he silently stared at the disc in his hands. "I feel the same way, Flame-Brain. Even though it didn't finish, it didn't have to. The first line already killed me."

"Prove it, Ice Princess." Natsu raised his eyebrows smugly. "Prove you love me."

Gray's face flushed as he realized he had no idea how to prove it at the moment. "I can't like this! When you put me on the spot—"

"I've got an idea." Natsu's smile grew. "Do the groceries. Then, take me to the amusement park."

—

Grays hands clenched tightly as his face held a scowl. Done with the grocery, he was now going to the old amusement park with an overly-excited Natsu driving beside him. They didn't get a chance to come here often, since Natsu could easily be spotted in such a crowded place, but Gray wanted Natsu to be happy. So, they would risk it every once in a while.

"We're here. Finally," Gray huffed out as he watched Natsu park the car. The pinkette then turned to him and gave him his signature toothy smile. Gray felt his own lips twitching upwards. However, before it could happen, he opened the door and got out of the car. "Hurry before it gets even more rushed."

Natsu rushed out of the car, grabbed Gray's arm, and ran towards the old, dark blue ticket booth, which seemed really rusted out. After getting the tickets, they decided to head in. Since Natsu didn't come here too often, he made sure to cherish every single moment he could with Gray here.

"Where do you want to—

"The ferris wheel! I want to see the view!" he basically screamed as he grabbed Gray's sleeve and tugged him to the line-up for the ferris wheel. Gray sighed as he looked around the park, wondering where else to go.

Once they got nearer to entering the ride, Gray's eyes widened as his mouth fell agape. The line moved and Natsu took a step forward. He noticed Gray didn't, so he looked behind him and pulled Gray forward, bringing him out of his shocked state.

"What's up?" Natsu asked, tilting his head in question.

Gray's eyes fell back to Gajeel, who, currently, was collecting tickets and letting people on the wheel. Gray laughed and grabbed Natsu's hand. "How about we go to the drop-tower first?"

"What? No—"

"Come on," Gray pushed Natsu's back, using his strength to push him out of the queue. "It's a much shorter line, and much more fun. Don't you agree?"

"But we're already in line!" Natsu argued, stepping to the side. Gray fell forward since there wasn't any resistance anymore. Natsu managed to move before they stepped out of line. "What's with you?"

"I don't like ferris wheels," Gray quickly said. "I'm scared of heights."

Natsu rolled his eyes and crossed his arm. "I think I'd know if you were scared of heights, Snowflake."

"Natsu—"

"Please, Gray," Natsu whined as he dragged out the other's name. "I love heights and I really want to go on it right now. I promise we'll go to the drop-tower as soon as we're done with this."

Hesitantly and reluctantly, Gray nodded his head as he looked to the side, refusing to meet Natsu's eyes. "Tch, fine, whatever."

Natsu smiled and gave a quick kiss on his lips. Grays eyes widened as he really hoped Gajeel didn't see that. He looked forward, realizing it was now their turn. Fortunately, Gajeel has just turned towards them and called them up. However, he almost died when he saw Natsu hand Gajeel the tickets. It seemed as if he didn't recognize Gajeel from the video. However, Gajeel seemed to recognize Gray. He even stared into Gray's eyes as he let them through, Gray doing the same. For once, Gajeel seemed to have his mouth shut. He peacefully let the two on, not a word coming out of his mouth.

Gray continued to watch Gajeel until the two of them got on the ferris wheel. The wheel immediately began to move, and Gray let out a sigh, slumping in his seat as much as he could. Natsu noticed and raised an eyebrow through his dark shades.

"Hey, you all right, Snow Queen?" he asked with genuine concern under his slightly playful tone. Gray stared straight ahead, thinking of what Gajeel would do. Natsu leaned ahead of Gray's face, trying to get his attention. "Gray?"

"Huh?" He blinked as he snapped his head towards Natsu. "Oh, sorry. Hey, would you look at that! What a beautiful view," he commented, trying to get Natsu distracted.

Natsu slightly frowned, but looked down eventually, figuring Gray would tell him what's wrong soon enough. He suddenly felt a familiar feeling in his stomach. "I don't know, it makes me a bit nauseous."

"The view?" Gray asked, confused. He stared down. "Oh, the height."

Natsu hummed as he put an arm over his stomach. "Yeah. I'll be all right, though. Oh my gosh!"he shrieked as he spotted something. "I want to go on that!" He pointed to a rollercoaster, which seemed to have about a 300 foot drop.

"You sure you'll be all right, Ash-For Brains?" Gray smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Last time we went there, you threw up on me twice. Plus, if this makes you nauseous," he gestured to the ride they were on, "then forget about that."

"But I wanna," Natsu stopped his whine as he put the back of his hand to his mouth, looking away from Gray. "Frick."

"What?" Gray tried to read Natsu's facial expression, but it was hard to when the other's face was downwards, and away from him.

"The pill," Natsu rasped out, referring to his motion sickness pill. "It's not working. I think it wore off."

"Oh," Gray let out, blinking a few times as he tried to process what was said. "Well, that's not good."

"You don't say," Natsu hissed as he rolled his eyes. He put his hand on his mouth, trying to keep from gagging. He knew once they got off, they would go home. Gray would say something about 'needing rest.' Natsu already felt guilty for ruining their date, which they rarely had. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Gray whispered as the wheel stopped once they were on the ground. He raised the bar over their heads and helped Natsu off, dragging his boyfriend through the park and towards their car.

He took the keys from Natsu's pockets and placed the man in the passenger seat. He ran to the other side and sat in, ready to start the car. Natsu's eyes widened as he saw his car keys in Gray's hand.

"No—"

"Listen, Ash-For-Brains," he began as he looked at Natsu seriously. He could see the fear in Natsu's eyes. "I know your car means a lot to you, but I'm not letting you drive right now. I rather have you yell at me for a minute than be dead while covered in your puke."

"But—"

"And I swear to God, I won't crash your car," he concluded as he saw Natsu give him a smile.

Gray started the car and slowly began to drive. Immediately, Natsu's head was out the window as he tried to keep himself from throwing up. He couldn't get vomit all over his car; that was his motivation.

"I'm going to die."

—

"I don't wanna go to bed!" Natsu whined as he shook free from Gray's grip, and ran to the living room. "It's only, like, eight O'clock!"

"Flame Brain!" Gray screamed as he chased his boyfriend. "You better not throw up on the couches. You're still recovering!" Before Natsu could deny it, Gray continued. "Your face is still pale and green. Go to bed!"

"No!"

"Pyro Freak!" Natsu stood behind the couch as Gray was near the doorway. "What's your problem? Just go to bed!"

"No way!" He then stopped his loud yelling and stared at nothing. "I'm fine," he let out in a rasped voice.

"Yeah, sure—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Natsu threw up on their white sofa. He sighed and slammed his hand onto his forehead. He rubbed his temples as he stared at Natsu, who slowly brought his own eyes back to Gray.

"Oops," Natsu laughed as he grabbed a cushion and placed it over his bile. "I didn't—"

"Just," Gray interrupted. "Just go to bed."

"Yeah, all right. Just this once because I don't want any more puke anywhere."

"You should've thought about that before, Squinty-Eyes."

 

-edited-


	8. eight

the confession

chapter eight   
day five

Gray locked the door as he smelled the fresh air of the morning— almost afternoon. Every Sunday, he woke up extremely later than usual. One reason was because he didn't have any classes, and the other was because Natsu had always left early and wasn't there to wake him up. Basically, he didn't have a reason to get up.

Of course, Natsu was nowhere to be found. It was Sunday, and though Gray had no classes, it still meant Natsu had work, unfortunately. Gray didn't have to like how it all was, it's just how it was, and he had to deal with it.

Currently, he was wearing his shorts and short-sleeved shirt with his earbuds plugged in his ears. He was ready to go on a light morning jog to relax his mind and make use of his time alone. He didn't see any good in just lying around at home, sulking by his lonesome self, even if that sounded extremely tempting, he refused to give in to his lazy habits and pizza as he watched The Good Doctor; though that did sound like a good post-run plan.

Getting off the porch, he began to run down the sidewalk, avoiding people who were walking. There weren't that many people though, since not many people seemed to like being awake at eleven in the morning on a Sunday— not many people liked being outside on a Sunday morning, he guessed. He certainly didn't like to be, but he would've been really bored otherwise.

He wanted his run to be relaxing; listening to some music, breathing in the air, and feeling his heart rate go up with each step he ran— but he couldn't have that. He found it unfair how he could never have a relaxing day— relaxing hour. He barely ever had five minutes to close his eyes. All he asked for was just an hour where he didn't have to worry or deal with anything.

Gray was looking down when he bumped shoulders with somebody else. He muttered an apology before realizing whom he had bumped in to. The long, black hair and the piercings on the other's face gave it all away. The scowl didn't help hide who he was either.

Gray bit the inside of his right cheek, but then let out a frustrated sigh. "Fancy meeting you here," he mumbled sarcastically, really not in the mood to deal with someone like Gajeel. If he was being honest, he didn't want to deal with anyone or anything, and that included himself.

Gajeel scoffed as he shook his head. Then, he looked Gray in the eye with a serious look, something Gray had never seen before. The sudden look surprised him as his eyes widened. "Who was with you yesterday, Gray?"

"A friend," he instantly replied by instinct. He may have responded a bit too quickly, but there wasn't much he could do now, except hope for Gajeel to not have noticed, and drown in his regrets.

"He seemed more than a friend when he kissed you," Gajeel remarked with a slight smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. Gray looked down, not being able to look at the other so seriously. This was unusual for the both of them; not once had they ever been so friendly to each other, if that was even the right term to describe whatever this all was. He was so used to always being at Gajeel's throat, he didn't think it was possible for Gajeel to even hint at being a decent human being.

The two of them were both silent, both deep in thought to say anything. Gajeel had looked elsewhere, staring off to the road beside them. Finally, after moments of extreme uncomfortable silence, Gajeel had decided to speak up and ask the question he already knew the answer to.

"You're gay, aren't you?"

Gray didn't think Gajeel had the right to ask him that question. After everything the other had done— had said, it wasn't okay. It bothered Gray that Gajeel was acting so nice, as if they had been friends for over a decade. All Gajeel had done was cause Gray to suffer. Because of Gajeel, his relationship with Natsu was on the line and could easily be broken off with a single mistake.

Gray didn't want Gajeel to know– he was probably the last person Gray wanted to find out. So, he tried to speak against it, but he knew that there wouldn't be much of a point. "I'm—"

"You can't deny it," Gajeel interrupted, clearly irritated by their conversation. Gray silently scoffed; why was Gajeel irritated? He was the one who started all this! Instead of walking away, he brought this up. Instead of just leaving him alone, he always teased him in a non-friendly way. 

Finally, he gave out a sigh of frustration and groaned. "Yeah, I'm gay," he hissed out. "You got me. Tell the whole university, as if they would even care about my sexuality."

Surprisingly, Gajeel did the last thing Gray expected him to do. They had known each other for a while, and not once had Gray seen him with anything other than a face with a scowl. He didn't think anyone had ever seen Gajeel smile. Albeit, it was a small one, it was still a smile.

"About time you admit it," he teased as he lightly laughed. It wasn't in a mocking tone or anything menacing, but more of a friendly tease— as if they really were friends since they were seven or something. Gray didn't like it, and he refused to accept whatever change was happening to their relationship.

"Hey!"

"So," Gajeel rocked back and forth on his heels with a smirk plastered across his face, his hands buried deep into the pockets of his jacket, "Who was he?"

Gray realized he was talking about Natsu. There was no way he could admit to be dating him. However, Gray had a feeling that Gajeel was just asking all these questions to bother Gray. He probably already knew all the answers, yet he still continued to ask. "No one."

"It was the pink-haired loser, right?"

Gray cursed in his mind. Clearly, Gajeel had given this a lot of thought and had come to a conclusion. His conclusion really seemed to be on point. Just what Gray needed; for Gajeel to know everything about his love life and sexuality. To try to protest couldn't hurt, right? 

"What—"

Apparently, he couldn't even get a chance to deny anything. Gajeel had his mind set on everything about this. He seemed so confident in all his answers, and what bothered Gray was that the other was right.

"Natsu Dragneel," he spoke slowly as Gray just stared at him. He was slightly shocked he figured it out, but slightly not. Gajeel had managed to dig everything else out. To find out it was Natsu was probably the easiest one. "So, how long have you two been together?"

"Six years," he whispered before letting out another sigh, followed by a groan. "I would really appreciate it if you stopped prying about my private life."

"Lucky idiot," Gajeel crossed his arms and stared the other raven down. "How did you get with someone so famous, rich, and attractive? And talented? Basically, your exact opposite." Gajeel gave his signature 'gihi' laugh.

"Ha-ha," Gray sarcastically laughed as he rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts, realizing the weather was becoming colder day by day. "I've known him long before that."

Suddenly, Gray's phone buzzed and he checked it, only to see Natsu's name. "I've got to take this. I'll see you later."

Again, Gray cursed, annoyed how even he was acting so friendly with Gajeel. Grumbling, he picked up the call and put his phone to his ear. He tried to push all his thoughts aside, not wanting to ruin Natsu's day with his problems. He couldn't do that. Then he realized it probably didn't even matter. No matter how much he complained to Natsu, the other was always so positive and happy— he was literally impossible to crack. He didn't think anyone was capable to break Natsu's happy smile and demeanour.

"Hey, Flame-Brain," Gray greeted as he flung himself onto a nearby bench he found. He didn't do much running, but the talk with Gajeel really did exhaust him mentally. He tried not to show it in his voice and hoped Natsu wouldn't notice.

"Hello," he answered. Gray sighed and slapped his left hand onto his forehead and slid it down his face. He could practically see and feel and hear Natsu's smile through his words. He always wondered how the pinkette was always so optimistic and cheerful. It made no sense to him. Then, there was Gray, who really was the exact opposite of Natsu by being pessimistic, lazy, and always complaining— maybe he didn't always complain, but he made sure to do it on a regular basis.

"Anything wrong?" Gray asked as he stared up at the blue sky. It was almost cloudless, he could see an airplane in the distance. He tried to see the flag on the tail, but couldn't.

"No," he replied. Gray imagined him shrugging a shoulder as he usually did. "Just missed your voice."

"Same, to be honest," he admitted quietly, closing his eyes before shooting them back open. "Can't wait to see you again. I'm counting down the hours."

"Me, too... Actually, I think I can wait. I'm not in the mood to deal with your idiocy."

Before Gray could retort a reply, he heard somebody call Natsu's name from afar. If he could hear it though the phone, he couldn't imagine how loud it must've been at the studio.

"Give me a min—

"No."

He heard Natsu sigh lightly. "I'm sorry, Gray. I'll be out here later than usual. The deadline's near and we've still got a few scenes to film. A little behind on schedule, you know?"

"Oh," Gray frowned at the revelation, "Do you know when you'll be home by?"

"Probably until after twelve. I'm sorry," his voice trailed off and he paused for a moment. "Don't wait up for me. I don't want you to be tired for your classes tomorrow, all right?"

Gray didn't bother sighing this time. "It's fine." With that, he hung up. He groaned, realizing Natsu probably thought he was mad at him. Gray wasn't— he understood having to stay late for work. Gray was just frustrated that he wouldn't get to see Natsu. He didn't blame Natsu at all, but his reaction must've said otherwise to the pinkette.

Gray decided to jog back home, doing it to make himself believe that he had been the slightest bit productive. He managed to listen to five songs before reaching his and Natsu's house. After taking a shower, he decided to be lazy for the rest of the day. He got in bed and turned on his laptop, ready to begin watching Netflix. The only thing better than being in the sheets that smelled like Natsu was having the latter beside him. 

-edited-


	9. nine

late nights with you

chapter nine   
day six

Gray tapped his fingers against the spot beside his laptop as he listened to his professor ramble on about World Issues. Minutes went by, and those turned into hours. Finally, after a little less than three hours, his class had finished. Gray stood up once he had put his laptop in his bag, and ran out the door. Right after this class, he had a Media Studies course, which he didn't complain about too much, since it was one of his favourite classes.

He left the lecture hall as he made his way to his other class, which wasn't too bad because the building was near from where he was at the moment. As he walked, he saw a familiar face; one that he's hated for years, one that he never wanted to see, but now, it's wasn't that bad to see Gajeel.

Gray gave a small smile to acknowledge the other, but the latter only rolled his eyes as he scoffed. Gray furrowed his eyebrows, a little confused as he continued walking. It was surprising since Gajeel was a completely different person from yesterday. It was like he had two different sides to him.

"Get out of my way, Fullbuster," Gajeel snarled as he shoved his shoulder against Gray, who only stared at Gajeel as he walked by him. That's when Gray realized that their heartfelt moment was only meant to last for less than a day.

He shook his head, regretting for even thinking Gajeel was anything more than what he had originally thought. They just weren't meant to be friends— nothing more than acquaintances. Their relationship was meant to be a hundred percent negative.

Gray walked into his class and sat down as he waited for class to start. He slumped in his chair, staring out the window. After a few dazed moments, his attention went to the front of the classroom, where his professor had walked in.

"All right," his professor started as he turned on the projector and set something up on his laptop. "A few days ago, a trailer for this upcoming movie was released. It had some interesting concepts and features that I thought were good to point out. So, we'll be analyzing the trailer today. You'll have to state the key point and explain how it works into the media and why the producers would include it into the piece. Today's class will be a little laid back, since we'll begin the harder work and review soon for your exam in two weeks."

His professor continued to speak on, but Gray dozed off as he looked out the window. It was a little windy today. Gray could hear Natsu whine already, since the pinkette would prefer the sun and warmth over the wind and cold any day. Gray imagined Natsu cursing at the wind as he tried to keep his hair in place, grumbling that it was already so messed up because of all the chemical products the hairdressers used on him.

Eventually, Gray's professor stopped speaking and the loud, familiar start of a trailer rang through his ears. Suddenly intrigued, he looked back at the screen, his eyes widening and jaw dropping once he saw the scenes he had seen just a little while ago. Of course it was Natsu's movie.

Gray picked his phone up and tried to quietly snapchat a bit of the trailer to Natsu, captioning it something along the lines of, "must you follow me everywhere?" Once he did, he sent it to Natsu and put his phone down and decided to watch the trailer he had already seen at least thirty times. He knew when and what everyone's lines were.

"So," his professor spoke up once the video had ended, "What were some key features you noticed?"

Gray, for the first time in that class, raised his hand. He didn't know what caused him to, but all he knew was his professor was staring right at him as he pointed to Gray – since he probably didn't know Gray's name– with a smile. Gray lowered his hand as he tried to think of how to word what he wanted to.

"Oh, uh," he began. "Would it be all right if we discussed the meaning of it all instead?"

Usually, he was sure his professors would tell him to either answer the question asked or shut up, but this professor only smiled even brighter as he nodded his head. "Do you have an idea of the meaning?"

"I feel like it's deeper than what we see," he said as he recalled the night where Natsu excitedly explained all the secret messages to him. "Maybe the main male protagonist isn't as cocky as he seems; he's just afraid. For example, in the scene where the girl is talking to her friends and he smirks at her, his expression falls into something sadder when she walks by him, as if he's scared to lose her."

"That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" his professor lightly laughed. "For the entire duration of the trailer, his character is extremely flamboyant. That's what the entire movie is about—"

"Rewind to that scene and slow the video down, trust me. It's for a fraction of a second, but it's there."

His professor shrugged and rewinded the video. It turned out Gray was right, to which his professor was astonished by. "Wow, that's a wonderful observation. Was there anything else you noticed?"

"I just feel like the guy's past is much darker than a girl just breaking his heart, for example. Like, maybe he," Gray stopped himself before he revealed the secret of the movie. He had to remind himself that he wasn't discussing this with Natsu, but his class that didn't even know who he was and he didn't know who they were. "I don't know, that's all I think."

For the rest of the class, they discussed the trailer. Gray's professor kept looking at him, but Gray didn't speak again; he was afraid of spilling too much. He already rambled out much more than he intended to. They would all just have to wait for the movie to come out. Gray scoffed at the thought; if they ever finished filming.

Before he knew it, his class was dismissed and Gray gave a sigh of relief as he sprinted out the classroom, knowing his professor would want to talk to him about the trailer. Gray would have to suck it up and discuss, since he was afraid of his mark dropping. All that was what he wanted to avoid.

He hopped onto the bus and rode home, deciding to text Natsu and ask when he was coming home. There was no immediate response, but Gray didn't expect there to be one; Natsu was a busy person. Gray just hoped Natsu would be home already, waiting for him.

Slamming the door of the house open, Gray listened for any movements that seemed like Natsu, but to no avail. He sighed and kicked off his shoes as he dropped his laptop bag onto one of the tables. He sat on the sofa and stared at the space of the living room, wondering what to do next. He didn't want to study or catch up on any readings for his classes, since he was a procrastinator. Natsu always called him a 'pro procrastinator,' but Gray would only roll his eyes and say Natsu was more of one than him.

Gray grabbed the T.V. remote and turned it on, putting on a show to pass time. Until he thought of anything better to do, he was going to settle for this.

—

Gray's eyes began to droop, but he shot them back open. He turned the T.V. off and stared at the time, trying to decipher what the clock read. He realized it was one in the morning already and yawned, the tiredness catching up to him.

He checked his phone, expecting a reply from Natsu, but there was nothing. Gray assumed either his battery was low or he was in a zombie-like state due to his over exhaustion– or both. Gray didn't care if he would come back in the afternoon of the next day; he wasn't going to sleep until he saw Natsu again.

When the door opened and closed, Gray stood up and walked to the door to greet Natsu. When he got there, he saw Natsu sitting on the stool, untying his shoelaces with a shocked expression as he stared at Gray.

"Why are you still awake?" he asked as he quickly slipped his shoes off and stood up, dragging Gray upstairs.

"I was waiting for you, Ash-For-Brains," Gray retorted as he let himself be pulled around. "A text back would be nice."

"Sorry, my phone died and no one was willing to let me borrow their charger. It's somewhere in my duffle-bag." Natsu waved off into the direction of the front door, where his bag laid.

Gray nodded as he walked into their bedroom, flopping onto the bed and closing his eyes. "Mkay, well, now that you're home, I'm gonna sleep. Night."

"You're stupid if you're going to try to sleep in jeans, Ice Princess," Natsu scoffed as he headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready to sleep. Gray grimaced, realizing Natsu was right, but still made no signs of getting up. "I doubt you even ate anything."

"I ate a box of pizza, so be jealous; you're not that important!" Gray yelled to Natsu, who was already in the bathroom with the door shut. His voice was a little muffled due to his face being shoved into the sheets.

"Can you even breathe?" Natsu asked as he returned and closed the lights, slipping into the bed. 

Gray made a sound, which sounded like a no. Gray fixed himself as he slid his head onto the pillow and turned to his side to stare at Natsu, remembering the video he sent to Natsu earlier yesterday. "I'm so done with you."

"Yeah?" Natsu raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Gray could even see it. "And why's that?"

"I could give you a list, Pyro, but I'll give you the number one thing at the top of my list," Gray tiredly said, his words a bit slurred. "You're everywhere, and I don't like it."

Natsu hummed mockingly and laughed. "That's what you get for being a prick all the time." Natsu's goofy smile slowly faded into a smaller and softer one. "I'm surprised you haven't beaten anyone's face in yet. A little proud, actually."

"I may hate you, but I want to marry you." Gray's tone had slightly changed. It was still tired, but there was also some determination and love laced in it. "I told you I was serious about all this."

Natsu only stared at Gray, who had his eyes closed as he spoke. "And I believed you— I still do."

Gray opened his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, staring right into Natsu's unsure eyes. "Why did you seem so hesitant to say that?"

"I wasn't hesitant," Natsu defended as he tried to think of what he could say next. He did believe Gray, but it was the whole marriage thing that was setting him off.

Gray prompted himself with his elbow as he got a better look at Natsu. "If something's wrong, you can tell me."

"Nothing's wrong," Natsu quickly retorted as he sighed. "You should sleep, your eyes are sagging, Droopy Eyes."

"Shut up," Gray hissed in a low voice as he closed his eyes once again. "I swear to God, if you were any other person, I would've punched you so hard." That's when Gray felt a pain running though his shin. He hissed as he reached down to grab his aching shin. He gave Natsu a look as he cursed at the other. "What the hell?"

"You always try to punch me, but end up missing. Don't blame your love for me as your excuse; you just suck," Natsu smugly said as he decided to close his own eyes. "Night."

"You're lucky I'm tired, or else I really would punch and argue with you."

"You just couldn't think of a comeback, Ice Cube."

"Let me sleep, Squinty Eyes."

 

-edited-


	10. ten

the final day.

chapter ten   
day seven

"Hey!"

Gray slightly turned his head to see Gajeel walking up to him with a smirk on his face and arms crossed over each other. Gray didn't care as he smiled back at the other, who gave a perplexed look, his smirk slightly falling. It was the last and final day; after this, he would get to finally marry Natsu. Nothing could ruin today for him, not even Gajeel.

"What's up?" Gray asked casually as he continued walking towards his class, his smile never faltering as it remained on his face. He didn't think he ever smiled so much in front of anybody before. Usually, he'd get a bit self conscious about his smile, but he couldn't care less about it, at the moment.

Gajeel eyed him as he uncrossed his arms, tucking them in his pockets instead, and cocking an eyebrow up. "What's got you all rainbows and sunshine?" Gray shrugged, not even debating to tell Gajeel. Gajeel already knew too much as it was. This only angered Gajeel even more, causing him to blurt out anything he could think of. "You're so gay."

This time, Gray raised an eyebrow at him, not believing that they were both back to square one. He let out a bitter laugh, staring at him with disbelief all over his face. "You're kidding me."

"You're either gay or homophobic, you can't be both," Gajeel teased as he tried to get the smallest bit of reaction from the other raven. Anything but that stupid smile. "What's wrong with you?"

"Listen, Gajeel," Gray sighed out as he put his hands into his pockets. "This isn't high school anymore. It's a bit sad that this was acceptable in high school, because 'kids will be kids,' but that's besides the point. I hope you know we're in our twenties now. Sure, when you're a teenager, you can blame your stupidity, but we're adults now. You can't seriously still be so immature."

Gajeel scoffed as he shook his head. "I'm guessing I hurt somebody's feeling, eh?"

Gray shrugged again and gave a look Gajeel hadn't ever seen before. "Not really, no. Everyday, you remind me this isn't some happy world we all live in. You remind me of the kind of people that live out there. I probably wouldn't be able to deal with everything and everyone if it weren't for you. So, in a way, I thank you," he said as he spoke about Gajeel teasing him about his sexuality and how he was always trying to pick a fight with him.

Gray gave one last smile of gratitude and spun on his heels to walk away from Gajeel, who was biting the inside of his cheek, thinking of something— anything to retort. He didn't have much to say, but the fact that Gray wasn't mad, angered Gajeel. So, he yelled after him.

"You know, I'm not gay," Gajeel walked towards Gray, his smirk, once again, present on his lips. He knew exactly the kind of reaction he wanted and how to get it. "But I wouldn't mind screwing the 'Pink Haired Loser.'"

Suddenly, Gray's smile fell as he stopped in his tracks. A few onlookers stopped what they were doing, too, and stared at the duo, loudly whispering to each other. Gray turned around and faced Gajeel, who had the dumb smirk on his face. Gray clenched his fists, wanting to punch the crap out of the other raven.

Gray stopped himself from having any thoughts of punching Gajeel. He reminded himself of Natsu and how their future wedding would go. He imagined continuing to wake up next to Natsu as he did everyday. He couldn't have all that if he punched Gajeel. He would have the opposite of all the happiness Natsu gave him.

"What," Gajeel teased as he took an intimidating step forward, "Got nothing to say? Or maybe, you're—"

Something in Gray snapped, and all his thoughts of Natsu fled out of his mind. He didn't know if it was what Gajeel said or if his mind went to a dark place— or both— but he couldn't stand there and let Gajeel talk about Natsu like that.

Gray punched Gajeel, harder than ever before. All of the previously pent up anger was suddenly drawing out into his fists as he, once more, punched Gajeel. He realized he was so angry because he was beginning to remember all of his and Gajeel's exasperating moments together; all their fights, frustrations, arguments— it was all coming back to him.

The two fought recklessly, uncaring of the people recording or people just watching and cheering on the fight. Gray had usually never given Gajeel more than two or three punches; he would just walk away. However, now, the two of them were in a full, blown out fight.

Gray gritted his teeth as he readied his fist to punch Gajeel again, but when he heard a slightly audible gasp, his entire body froze. He didn't punch, but he didn't move away either. Instead, he looked up to his right. All the colour drained from his body and his eyes widened when he saw who was standing there.

Natsu was wearing a black hood, covering his easily spotted pink hair. Even though he had dark sunglasses covering his olive green eyes, Gray could still see the slight disappointment and sadness in his eyes. A bouquet was in his hand, but the flowers looked duller than they usually would. Gray couldn't tell it if was because of the sudden atmosphere or if that was just how he was beginning to view things of the world. 

Neither of the two said nothing. Gajeel was in the brink of passing out and the people surrounding the two were still egging on the fight, not noticing Gray's interaction with the hooded figure.

Natsu bit his lip, a nervous and hesitant look on his face. He gave a small smile, nodding his head as he began making his way towards the exit. It was as if he was trying to say he understood why Gray was doing this and he accepted it. This confused Gray; if that were the case, then didn't he know that this meant their relationship would be over? Was he ignorant to that or did he just not care?

Gray stood up, slightly wobbly. That didn't stop him from pushing the people of the crowd out of the way as he tried to get through. Gray finally got out and was just able to see Natsu speed-walk through the campus, away from the biking. He chased after him. Luckily, nobody from the crowd followed after Gray.

"Natsu!" he yelled once he got outside. Natsu stopped in his tracks as he turned around and gave a small smile. "Natsu?"

"It's okay, Ice Block," Natsu spoke in a soft voice, one Gray had never heard before. Today had just been full of surprises. "I knew I was asking for a lot."

"Natsu—"

"No, listen," he interrupted. "I know you love me, but maybe it's best if you find someone else."

"No." Gray shook his head at the other as he took a step closer, only inches away from the pinkette. With desperation and false hope in his eyes, he spoke. "I can only ever love you."

"You say that now, but make sure I'm invited to your future wedding, all right?" Natsu joked with a laugh. Gray could tell some tears were gathering in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Gray felt his own threatening to show.

"Natsu, no. Please," he pleaded. "I– I made it through all seven days. I did it for a week— I did it for you. I did everything you asked me to do. Please, I can learn to handle all this. I'll do whatever it takes, but I can't lose you."

Gray couldn't remember the last time he had said 'please' so much. He couldn't help it; he was about to lose the one person he loved so much over a stupid mistake he made. Natsu had to also pay the price for his idiocy, and Gray didn't think that was fair. If he could go back by just twenty minutes, he would change so much.

"Gray," Natsu's voice slowly rolled out his name in a soft whisper. Though it was quiet, Gray could hear how it was shaky and on the brim of cracking. "I love you. That's why I'm doing this. There's a lot more than just handling a video." A tear fell down his face as he averted his eyes from Gray. "There's so much more about Hollywood than anyone knows about. I can't risk your life for it."

Gray shook his head, refusing to believe that this was actually happening. "Natsu, what—"

"I really do love you, Ice Block. Thanks for the past six years. I'll never forget them, but only if you promise to remember them also. Please don't forget about me."

"Can I," Gray voice trailed off as he coughed to the side, in attempt to clear his throat to make it steadier. He didn't thing it helped very much. "Can I at least have one last kiss?"

Natsu smiled at his request and gave him a look, as if the answer were obvious. "Of course."

With that, Gray gave Natsu one last kiss. It may have only lasted about three seconds, but there was more sadness and love in that kiss than ever before. It's what people did when they were about to be distanced from the one person they thought they would be inseparable from.

"You," Gray started as some dots connected in his head, "You were never going to say yes."

The small, sad smile Natsu gave him was enough of an answer. Gray felt the pieces of his already broke heart shatter even more. Gray couldn't believe it.

"I would never forgive myself for corrupting your life," Natsu tried reasoning, but Gray only shook his head.

"I told you," Gray bitterly laughed as he looked away from Natsu, "I could handle—"

"Freaking hell, Ice Princess," Natsu cursed as Gray looked back at the pink-haired man. "Being famous means you have to handle much more than just a video. It's messed up and they try to manipulate your mind to make you believe what they want. It's controlling and," he let out a heavy sigh, "And I don't expect you to understand– Heck, I barely do– but it's not a life I wouldn't regret giving you."

"Then let's keep it a secret," Gray suggested, his voice holding to the last few strings of hope he had left. "If it's such a big deal, then let's not tell anybody. We've been doing that for six years!"

"You don't get it, Popsicle," Natsu said as he slightly shook his head. "I would rather die than be famous. It's that awful."

"Natsu," Gray's voice trailed off as his lips fell into an even deeper frown.

"Please, just listen to me, Gray," Natsu pleaded as his hand found its way to Gray's. "Just this one, last time."

"Like I said, if you're worried about corrupting me life, let's keep it a secret," Gray repeated his earlier statement, clenching Natsu's hand even tighter, knowing what the other's answer was going to be. "I don't care if our relationship is a secret— I don't care if we're not even married! Just don't leave me."

"Gray—"

"Please, Natsu. Just this one, last time, listen to me." Gray stared into Natsu's eyes, despair clouding his own. 

"I'm truly sorry, Ice Princess," Natsu softly laughed out at the nickname. Gray was sure that was the last time he would hear the other call him that— the last time he would hear he other laugh. "Go live a long life... one where you can actually be happy."

 

 

-edited-


End file.
